Oct. 13, 2025 is now Dr. Charles G. Howell Jr. Day, as proclaimed by Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson, Monday morning, during the grand reopening of the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
The ceremony drew a large cadre of hospital staff and leaders, celebrating the renovation of the hospital’s lobby, a $2 million project that has been in the works for some 18 months.
The renewal included repairs to the tile flooring, which were replaced with terrazzo flooring, new bond furniture to mitigate the risk and spread of infectious diseases, and an updated lighting system.
“Every design choice, from the colors to finishes, was made to make the entrance more uplifting, safe and reflective of the exceptional care that we provide here,” said Dr. Valera Hudson, the hospital’s chief pediatrician.
The restoration also entailed giving permanent honors to the long-serving pediatric surgeon whose off-handed, but quite sincere, suggestion was the impetus for the development of the second largest children’s hospital in Georgia.
In 1988 Howell told the chief aid of Tom Murphy, then speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, that Augusta could use a children’s hospital. Howell and successfully performed a surgery on the aid’s granddaughter, working in the pediatric wing of MCG. The man told Howell to let him know if there was anything he could do for him.
After a decade-long chain of events kicked off by Howell’s comment that include talks between Howell, MCG president Francis Tedesco and future Georgia governor Zell Miller, the hospital was opened in May of 1998.
Monday morning’s reopening ceremony ultimately led to a reveal of the renovated entry way’s new name: the Dr. Charles G. Howell Jr. Lobby, a dedication that was unbeknownst to its honoree.
“This was a surprise today,” said Howell, who performed some 16,000 procedures over a 40-year career. “This is quite an honor, and I certainly wasn’t expecting it.”
Beneath Howell’s name is a plaque on the wall, whose epigraph summarizes his professional legacy.
Howell is happy that CHOG has made the progress that it has, he says, but that “there’s still more to go, because the state of Georgia continues to grow and the need for care for children continues to expand.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
